|
Economics Courses
Lower-Division1A-B-C. Elements of Economics (4-4-4) Basic methods of economic analysis and their application to public policy and current events. Economics 1A concerns microeconomics: supply and demand, markets, income distribution, perfect and imperfect competition, the role of government. Economics 1B concerns macroeconomics: unemployment, inflation, business cycles, monetary and fiscal policy. Economics 1C concerns standard tools of economic analysis: mathematical foundations of marginal analysis, basics of graphical, algebraic and statistical modeling, policy analysis, discounting, and strategic interaction. Courses must be taken in A-B-C order. 4. Financial Accounting (4) Recording, organizing, and communicating economic information relating to business entities. No Prerequisites. 87. Freshman Seminar (1) The Freshman Seminar Program is designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. May be repeated when course topics vary. (P/NP grades only.) 90. Undergraduate Seminar (1) Selected topics in economics. May be repeated twice (total of three units) when course topic varies. (P/NP grades only.) Upper-Division100A-B. Microeconomics (4-4) Household and firm behavior as the foundations of demand and supply. Market structure and performance, income distribution, and welfare economics. Credit not allowed for both Economics 100A-B and Economics 170A-B. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C and Mathematics 10A-B-C, or 20A-B and 20C/21C. Economics 100A must be taken before Economics 100B. 100AH-BH. Honors Microeconomics (1-1) Honors sequence covering the material of Economics 100A-B. Prerequisites: department stamp required. Economics 100A must be taken with 100AH, and 100B must be taken with 100BH. 101. International Trade (4) Determinants of trade in goods and services, international flows of labor and capital, and the effects of trade policy on welfare and income distribution. Issues such as competitiveness, immigration policy, trading blocs, and industrial policy. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C. Recommended: Economics 100A-B or 170A-B. 103. International Monetary Relations (4) Balance of payments, international capital movements, and foreign exchange examined in light of current theories, policies, and problems. Prerequisites: Economics 110A-B. 105. Industrial Organization and Antitrust Policy (4) Structure and performance of U.S. industry. Pricing, advertising, product strategies, cartel behavior, and strategic entry barriers. Detailed treatment of antitrust policy. Prerequisites: Economics 100A-B or 170A-B. 107. Economic Regulation (4) Theory and application of economic regulation. Natural monopoly, nonlinear pricing, Ramsey pricing, franchise bidding. Discussion of U.S. electric utilities, gas utilities, broadcasting, surface transportation, and air transportation. Prerequisites: Economics 100A or 170A. 109. Game Theory (4) Introduction to game theory. Analysis of people’s decisions when the consequences of the decisions depend on what other people do. Applications to economic, political, and social interactions. Prerequisites: Economics 100A-B or 170A-B. 110A-B. Macroeconomics (4-4) The theory of national income determination as the basis for explaining fluctuations in income, employment, and the price level. Use of monetary and fiscal policy to stabilize the economy. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C and Mathematics 10A-B-C, or 20A-B and 20C/21C. Economics 110A must be taken before Economics 110B. 110AH-BH. Honors Macroeconomics (1-1) Honors sequence covering the material of Economics 110A-B. Prerequisites: department stamp required. Economics 110A must be taken with 110AH, and 110B must be taken with 110BH. 111. Monetary Economics (4) Financial structure of the U.S. economy. Bank behavior. Monetary control. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C and Mathematics 10A or 20A. 113. Mathematical Economics (4) Mathematical concepts and techniques used in advanced economic analysis; applications to selected aspects of economic theory. Prerequisites: Economics 100A-B, or Economics 170A-B; or Mathematics 140A; or Mathematics 142A. 116. Economic Development (4) Analysis of current economic problems of less-developed areas and conditions for increasing their income, employment, and welfare; case studies of specific less-developed countries. Prerequisite: Economics 1A-B-C. 117. Economic Growth (4) Models of the economic growth of developed economies. Prerequisites: Economics 100A or 170A. 118A-B. Law and Economics (4-4) Analysis of the economic effects of the structure of the law with particular emphasis on the law of liability, including liability for nuisances, zoning law, products liability, and accident liability. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C. 118B may be taken before 118A. 120A-B-C. Econometrics (4-4-4) Probability and statistics used in economics. Economics 120A covers basic data analysis using spreadsheets, probability and sampling theory. 120B covers statistical inference and basic regression methods; 120C covers advanced regression including special topics. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C and Mathematics 10A-B-C, or 20A-B and 20C/21C. The Economics 120A-B-C sequence must be taken in that order (A before B before C). Credit not allowed for both Economics 120A and Mathematics 180A or Mathematics 183 or ECE 109. Credit not allowed for both Economics 120B and Mathematics 181A. Also, see the “Note on overlaps” at the end of the undergraduate course descriptions. 120AH-BH-CH. Honors Econometrics (1-1-1) Honors sequence covering the material of Economics 120A-B-C. Prerequisites: department stamp required. Economics 120A must be taken with 120AH, 120B must be taken with 120BH, and 120C must be taken with 120CH. 121. Applied Econometrics (4) Application of econometric methods to such areas as labor supply, human capital, and financial time series. Prerequisites: Economics 120A-B-C. 125. Economics of Population Growth (4) Economics of population growth, family size, age profiles, birth and death rates, growth of cities. Prerequisites: Economics 120A-B-C. Economics 178 is recommended. 130. Public Policy (4) Role of economics in public policy. Topics such as funding health care, drug policy, incentives for high technology industries, mass transit versus highway construction, and agriculture subsidies. Term paper usually required. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C. 131. Economics of the Environment (4) Environmental issues from an economic perspective. Relation of the environment to economic growth. Management of natural resources, such as forest and fresh water. Policies on air, water, and toxic waste pollution. International issues such as ozone depletion and sustainable development. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C. 132. Energy Economics (4) Energy from an economic perspective. Fuel cycles for coal, hydro, nuclear, oil, and solar energy. Emphasis on efficiency and control of pollution. Comparison of energy use across sectors and across countries. Global warming. Role of energy in the international economy. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C. 135. Urban Economics (4) (Same as USP 102.) Urban economic problems and public policies to deal with them. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C. 136. Human Resources (4) Theoretical and empirical analysis of public and private investment in people, emphasizing the contribution to productivity of education. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C and Mathematics 10A-B-C, or 20A-B and 20C/21C. 137. Inequality and Poverty (4) Analysis of inequality in the distribution of income, education, and wealth; causes of poverty and public policies to combat it. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C, and Economics 120A, or Mathematics 180A or Mathematics 183 or ECE 109. 138A-B. Economics of Health (4) The application of economic analysis to the health field; the role of health in income, production, and poverty; supply, demand, and price determination in the public and private sectors. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C. Economics 138A must be taken before 138B. 139. Labor Economics (4) Operation of labor markets. Such topics as labor force participation, unemployment, labor mobility, wage inflation, the impact of unions, human capital investments, internal labor markets, and labor market discrimination. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C. 145. Economics of Ocean Resources (4) Economic issues associated with oceans. Living marine resources, nonliving marine resources, and other economic attributes of the sea. Prerequisites: Economics 100A-B or 170A-B. 146. Economic Stabilization (4) Theory of business cycles and techniques used by governments to stabilize an economy. Discussion of recent economic experience. Prerequisites: Economics 110A-B. 147. Economics of Education (4) Examination of issues in education using theoretical and empirical approaches from economics. Analysis of decisions to invest in education. Consideration of various market structures in education, including school choice and school finance programs. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C and Economics 120A or ECE 109 or Mathematics 180A or Mathematics 183 or Political Science 30 or Psychology 60 or Social Science 60. 150. Economics of the Public Sector: Taxation (4) Overview of the public sector in the U.S. and the scope of government intervention in economic life. Basic principles of taxation, tax incidence, and tax efficiency. Analysis of the U.S. tax system before and after the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Prerequisites: Economics 100A or 170A. 151. Economics of the Public Sector: Expenditures (4) Overview of the public sector in the U.S. And the scope of government intervention in economic life. Theory of public goods and externalities. Introduction to the basic forms of government intervention. Evaluation of specific expenditure programs such as education and national defense. Prerequisites: Economics 100A or 170A. 155. Economics of Voting and Public Choice (4) An economic analysis of social decision making, including such topics as the desirable scope and size of the public sector, the efficiency of collective decision-making procedures, voting theory and collective vs. market resource allocation. Prerequisite: Economics 100A-B or 170A-B. 158A-B. Economic History of the United States (4-4) (Same as History HIUS 140–141.) 158A: The United States as a raw materials producer, as an agrarian society, and as an industrial nation. Emphasis on the logic of the growth process, the social and political tensions accompanying expansion, and nineteenth- and early twentieth-century transformations of American capitalism. 158B: The United States as a modern industrial nation. Emphasis on the logic of the growth process, the social and political tensions accompanying expansion, and twentieth-century transformations of American capitalism. 161. Latin American Economic Development (4) Development issues facing Latin American countries. Economic policy. Emphasis on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Prerequisite: Economics 1A-B-C. 163. Japanese Economy (4) Survey of Japanese economy. Topics such as economic growth, business cycles, saving-investment balance, financial markets, fiscal and monetary policy, labor markets, industrial structure, international trade, and agricultural policy. Prerequisite: Economics 1A-B-C. 170A-B. Management Science Microeconomics (4-4) Subject matter of Economics 100A-B, but with greater emphasis on the theory of the firm. Credit not allowed for both Economics 100A-B and Economics 170A-B. Prerequisites: Economics 1A-B-C and Mathematics 20A-B and 20C/21C. 170A must be taken before 170B. 170AH-BH. Honors Management Science Microeconomics (1-1) Honors sequence covering the material of Economics 170A-B. Prerequisite: department stamp required. Economics 170A must be taken with 170AH, and 170B must be taken with 170BH. 171. Decisions Under Uncertainty (4) Decision-making when the consequences are uncertain. Decision trees, payoff tables, decision criteria, expected utility theory, risk aversion, sample information. Prerequisites: Economics 120A and Mathematics 20F. 172A-B-C. Introduction to Operations Research (4-4-4) Linear, nonlinear, and integer programming. Elements of game theory. Deterministic and stochastic dynamic programming. Prerequisites: Economics 120A and Mathematics 20F. Economics 172A may be taken concurrently with 120A. Economics 172A must be taken first, but Economics 172B must be taken or concurrently with 172C. A student may not receive credit for both Economics 172A-172B and Mathematics 171A-171B. Also, see the “Note on overlaps” at the end of the undergraduate course descriptions. 173. Corporate Finance (4) Corporate financial management, cash flow analysis, capital budgeting and capital structure. Institutional issues in project analysis, performance evaluation, and financial planning. Prerequisite: Economics 4. 174. Financial Insurance (4) Insurance markets, law, and terminology. Demand for insurance and for lotteries. Contingent claims theory. Reserves management and efficient risk sharing. Financial theories for regulating insurance rates. Options and insurance. Moral hazard. Adverse selection. Current controversies in insurance. Prerequisites: Economics 120A-B-C and either 100A or Economics 170A. Concurrent enrollment in Economics 120C is permitted. Economics 171 and Economics 175 are recommended. 175. Financial Investments (4) Valuation of assets including stocks, bonds, options, and futures contracts. Optimal portfolio selection and risk management. Prerequisites: Economics 120A. 176. Marketing (4) Role of marketing in the economy. Topics such as buyer behavior, marketing mix, promotion, product selection, pricing, and distribution. Prerequisites: Economics 120A-B-C. Concurrent enrollment in Economics 120C is permitted. 178. Economic and Business Forecasting (4) Survey of theoretical and practical aspects of statistical and economic forecasting. Such topics as long-run and short-run horizons, leading indicator analysis, econometric models, technological and population forecasts, forecasting evaluation, and the use of forecasts for public policy. Prerequisites: Economics 120A-B-C. Concurrent enrollment in Economics 120C is permitted. 179. Decisions in the Public Sector (4) Decision making in the public sector. Topics such as program evaluation, budgeting, financial management, and expenditure decisions. Prerequisites: Economics 100A-B or 170A-B. 181. Topics in Finance (4) Selected topics in finance. Prerequisite: consent of department. 182. Topics in Microeconomics (4) Selected topics in microeconomics. Prerequisite: consent of department. 183. Topics in Macroeconomics (4) Selected topics in macroeconomics. Prerequisite: consent of department. 191A-B. Senior Essay Seminar (4-4) Senior essay seminar for students with superior records in department majors. Prerequisite: department stamp required. 195A-B-C. Introduction to Teaching Economics (4-4-4) Introduction to teaching economics. Each student will be responsible for a class section in one of the lower-division economics courses. Limited to advanced economics majors with at least a 3.5 GPA in upper-division economics work. (P/NP grades only.) Prerequisite: consent of the department. May not use more than eight units for credit. 198. Directed Group Study (2 or 4) Directed study on a topic or in a group field not included in regular department curriculum by special arrangement with a faculty member. Prerequisites: upper-division standing and consent of instructor. May be repeated up to three times when course topics vary. (P/NP grades only.) 199. Independent Study (2 or 4) Independent reading or research under the direction of and by special arrangement with a Department of Economics faculty member. (P/NP grades only.) Prerequisites: consent of instructor and departmental approval. Graduate200A-B-C. Microeconomics (4-4-4) Background mathematical techniques, static and intertemporal consumer and producer theory, partial and general equilibrium, modern producer and consumer theory, risk, time, and interdependence, modern welfare economics. 201. Advanced Economic Theory (4) An intensive examination of selected topics in economic theory. Course topic nonrepetitive in a three-year cycle. Prerequisites: Economics 207E and 213D. 202A-B-C. Workshop in Economic Theory (0-4/0-4/0-4) An examination of recent research in economic theory, including topics in general equilibrium, welfare economics, duality, and social choice; development of related research topics by both graduate students and faculty. Course may be repeated an unlimited number of times. (S/U grades only.) Prerequisite: Economics 207E or consent of instructor. 205. Mathematics for Economists (4) Advanced calculus review for new graduate students. 206. Decisions (4) Further topics in consumer and producer theory, intertemporal optimization, and decision-making under uncertainty. (Previously numbered Economics 200D.) Prerequisites: Economics 200A-B-C or consent of instructor. 207. Markets and Welfare (4) Further topics in general equilibrium, welfare analysis, and social choice theory. (Previously numbered Economics 200E.) Prerequisite: Economics 200A-B-C or consent of instructor. 208. Games and Information (4) Further topics in game theory and the economics of information. (Previously numbered Economics 200F.) Prerequisite: Economics 200A-B-C or consent of instructor. 210A-B-C. Macroeconomics (4-4-4) Neoclassical and Keynesian theories of employment, income, interest rate, price level, and other aggregate variables; macroeconomic policy; balance of payments and exchange rates; conflicts between external and internal balance; disequilibrium theory; growth theory. 211. Advanced Macroeconomics (4-4-4) Selected theoretical and empirical issues in macroeconomics. Prerequisite: Economics 213 or consent of instructor. 212A-B-C. Workshop in Macroeconomics (4-4-4) Examination of recent research in macroeconomics; development of own research by graduate students and faculty. Prerequisite: Economics 210C. 213. Advanced Macroeconomic Theory (4) Dynamic analysis, multiple equilibria, modern growth theory, computational methods. (Previously numbered Economics 210D.) Prerequisites: Economics 210A-B-C or consent of instructor. 214. Applied Macroeconomics (4) Monetary policy, business cycles, factor utilization, investment, heterogeneity. (Previously numbered Economics 210E.) Prerequisites: Economics 210A-B-C or consent of instructor. 220A-B-C-D-E-F. Econometrics (4-4-4-4-4-4) The construction and application of stochastic models in economics. This includes both single and simultaneous equations models. Matrix algebra and basic statistics are covered. Also covered (in 220F) are empirical applications to micro and macroeconomics. These require the completion of an empirical project. Both 220E and F will be offered simultaneously in the winter quarter. 221. Advanced Econometrics (4) Extensions of the theory of the linear model; Bayesian analysis; principal components, discriminant analysis, spectral analysis of time series; insufficient data problems and the use of generalized inverse matrices; experimental design; formulation and evaluation of economic models, including the interpretation and testing of causality. Prerequisite: Economics 220F or consent of instructor. May be repeated up to three times if topics vary. 222A-B-C. Workshop in Econometrics (4-4-4) Examination of recent econometric research; development of own research by students and faculty. Course may be repeated an unlimited number of times. (S/U grades only.) 224. Readings in Econometrics (1) Examination of recent research in econometrics to facilitate the development of thesis research by graduate students. 230. Public Economics: Taxation (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in public economics. (Previously numbered Economics 230A.) Prerequisite: consent of instructor. 231. Public Economics: National Government Expenditures (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in public economics. (Previously numbered Economics 230B.) Prerequisite: consent of instructor. 232. Public Economics: Fiscal Federalism (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in public economics. (Previously numbered Economics 230C.) Prerequisite: consent of instructor. 235A-B-C. Workshop in Applied Microeconomics and Industrial Organization (0-4/0-4/0-4) Examination of recent research in applied economics; development of own research by graduate students and faculty. Course may be repeated an unlimited number of times. (S/U grades only.) 240. Economic Development (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in economic development. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. 245. International Economics (4) Theory of international trade, finance, and monetary relations. Growth, disturbances, capital movements, and balance of payments adjustment. International economic policy and welfare. (Previously numbered Economics 232A-B-C.) Prerequisite: consent of instructor. 250. Labor Economics (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in human resource economics. (Previously numbered Economics 236A-B.) Prerequisite: consent of instructor. 260. Industrial Organization (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in industrial organization. (Previously numbered Economics 234A.) Prerequisite: Economics 220F or consent of instructor. 264. Experimental Economics (4) Design and interpretation of controlled experiments using human subjects. (Previously numbered Economics 207.) Prerequisite: consent of instructor. 266. Economics of Natural Resources (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in natural resource economics. (Previously numbered Economics 242.) Prerequisite: consent of instructor. 270. Finance—Core Asset Pricing (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in finance. (Previously numbered Economics 214A.) 271. Finance—Market Micro Structure and Volatility Modeling (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in finance. (Previously numbered Economics 214B.) 272. Finance—Theory and Testing of Intertemporal Asset Pricing Models (4) Theoretical and empirical issues in finance. (Previously numbered Economics 214C.) 280. Computation (2) Introduction to econometric computing. (S/U grades only.) 281. Special Topics in Economics (4) A lecture course at an advanced level on a special topic (or set of related topics) in economics. May be repeated for credit if topic differs. (Previously numbered Economics 267.) Prerequisite: consent of instructor. 282. Third-Year Paper (4) Written project, such as a critical review of a body of literature, including a proposal for an original research paper. For third-year students in winter quarter. (Previously numbered Economics 272.) 283. Third-Year Paper Presentations (4) Workshop for students writing third-year papers. All papers will be formally presented in the workshop. (Previously numbered Economics 273.) 284. Third-Year Original Paper (4) Original research paper. For third-year students. (Previously numbered Economics 274.) 285. Third-Year Original Paper Presentations (4) Workshop for students writing third-year original papers. All papers will be formally presented in the workshop. (Previously numbered Economics 275.) 290A-B-C. Colloquium in Economics (0-0-0) Lectures presented by visiting speakers on research in a variety of topics in both Theoretical and Applied Economics. 291. Advanced Field Advising (4) Controlled reading and discussion with adviser; literature survey. May be repeated for credit. (S/U grades only.) 297. Independent Study (1-5) (S/U grades only.) 299. Research in Economics for Dissertation (1-9) (S/U grades only.) 500A-B-C. Teaching Methods in Economics (4-4-4) The study and development of effective pedagogical materials and techniques in economics. Students who hold appointments as teaching assistants must enroll in this course, but it is open to other students as well. (S/U grades only.) |
